3D Display Hardware/Software Solution? 27
Daemon8666 asks: "I've searched for three days with no luck. A client of mine has developed a brand new type of 3D display. To make it work, he needs me to come up with a way to synchronize 3 simultaneous video feeds on one box, and output them to 3 separate devices, as follows:
Comp playing Videos A, B, and C in sync, and outputting Video A to Monitor X only, Video B to Monitor Y only, and Video C to monitor Z only.
He is currently using 3 off-the-shelf DVD players that he controls with one remote (he pushes play, and all three separate DVDs start together), but he really wants a single-unit solution. Any ideas what hardware/software I should use?"
SMPTE (Score:2)
Multihead X and mplayer (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Multihead X and mplayer (Score:2)
You win the prize! -most helpful and insightful post in this thread-
Re:Multihead X and mplayer (Score:1)
How do you keep the 3 different video outputs synchronised ?
xine (and I think also mplayer) do not support these functions (yet).
Anyways, this would defenately be the cheapest and probably the best way to solve this problem at the moment.
Re:Multihead X and mplayer (Score:2)
Re:Multihead X and mplayer (Score:1)
Simple solution (Score:1)
I dont mean (Score:2)
just a thought you know.
Re:I dont mean (Score:2)
I concur. (Score:2)
Yes, And easier for me and my engineering buddies to replicate and patent before you can. What are you thinking posting this to
(I would never do that of course, but I bet theres someone at CompUSA right now picking up some extra hardware to do just that!)
Re:I concur. (Score:2)
Simultaneous video feeds (Score:3, Informative)
Graphics cards which can do this are things like the nVidia Quadro FX3000G - the G stands for genlocking. Yes, they cost more than the normal version.
Re:Simultaneous video feeds (Score:2)
I think that, for the time being, commodity cards, a single computer, and distributed multihead X would be fine. Pro cards that support a perfectly synced video stream might be overkill if this is just a rig used for experimentation: best to start out cheap, get a proof-of-concept, and then go to the big guns later.
Of course, the one problem is that you'll be stuck with rather slow PCI cards if you want three cards in one computer.
Re:Simultaneous video feeds (Score:2)
Videos in memory (Score:2)
Since the files are on ramdisk delay should be negligable between the 3 instances as far as startup...
2. ??? (Score:2)
I wonder if he had planned to profit from this innovative idea of his before it was posted to slashdot.
Re:2. ??? (Score:1)
2. ???
3. profit!!!
Extra wide frame (Score:3, Interesting)
So if it's 640x480 per frame, but squish them all together in a 640x1440 mpeg and let the output display across the three devices. That stops you from having complex software to synch three seperate players.
Re:Extra wide frame (Score:1)
How to... (Score:2)
First, multiple video streams can be interleaved into a single mpeg transport stream. Each of the streams has its own 33 bit decode/present timestamps, and you can (for this application), ensure that they are synchronized.
Next, the video output can be gen-locked. One free-running video, and feedback from the DAC to keep the other two video outputs synchronized. There are some chip solutions that can do this, and several board solutions as well. To make this viable, you probably w
Too complicated (Score:1, Funny)
I doubt it... (Score:2)
Yeah, right. I am not saying it is not possible, it very well might be. But when you look back at the history of 3D imagery, patents, methods of viewing, eye-brain trickery, etc - it seems like it all has been done before, in one manner or another.
Furthermore, none of the prior art, with the exception of true holograms (and perhaps a few of the volumetric 3D display systems), manage to convey true depth where the eye can focus on any one part of
Re:I doubt it... (Score:2)
Dedicated video mixing solution (Score:1)
VT gives you 4 composite / component outputs, and is capable of handling multiple streams at once. Simply amazing for real-time compositing. (Disclaimer #2: I've never worked for a l